Randy Couture leaning towards Dan Henderson in UFC 151 title-fight

UFC Hall of Fame fighter Randy Couture may be officially retired from competition but the 49-year old “Natural” still keeps a close eye on MMA for a variety of reasons including, of course, his love of the sport.

Couture was recently asked to give his thoughts on the upcoming title-bout between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and seasoned veteran Dan Henderson and had an answer many might not have expected. While Jones is a heavy favorite in the odds department, when put on the spot Couture actually went against the grain and pointed towards “Hendo” as the man who would exit UFC 151 with the title in tow.

“I like the fight for Dan,” said Couture in an interview with The MMA Show.

Couture, a former 205-pound champ himself, is a friend and former teammate of Henderson’s. However, that didn’t appear to influence his opinion on the match-up, as he also offered up a reasonable explanation for his pick.

“Obviously Jones is a tall order with a 96-inch reach [actually 84.5] and as athletic and dynamic of an athlete that he is, but I think Dan has two things going for him. One is that right hand, but two, at the end of the day it’s going to be that wrestling mentality ”” closing the distance, wading through Jon, taking him out of that long-range dynamic striking reach he likes and forcing him to wrestle,” he explained. “Dan was a two-time Olympic wrestler, and I think if he makes Jones wrestle and does it for five rounds he has a real good chance of winning that fight. (Plus) you may see an ”˜H-bomb’ hit Jon Jones in the head at anytime with Danny, so I really like that fight for him.”

Jones and Henderson will meet in the Octagon on September 1. Couture can be seen much sooner, appearing on the silver screen currently in The Expendables 2.